Microsoft Acquires Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Playground Games And More For Xbox

It’s been well-documented that Microsoft has been losing the exclusives arms race to Sony and Nintendo for an entire generation now, but they’re making big moves in order to course correct for the future of Xbox.

Phil Spencer just took the stage at E3 to announce that Microsoft is investing in new games for its platform, and that includes the acquisition of a number of high profile developers to further established series and build new games.

We’ll start with the most noteworthy, Ninja Theory, which is now a Microsoft Studio after producing one of the most critically acclaimed games of last year, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. No word on what they’re working on next, or whether their new games will be “AA” titles or with Microsoft’s funding, they’ll be given bigger projects. But it’s exciting all the same.

Undead Labs is responsible for State of Decay, which Microsoft has been impressed enough with to fully bring the studio into the fold. Playground Games is responsible for the most well-reviewed, beloved games in Microsoft’s stable, the Forza Horizon series, and it’s now a full Microsoft studio as well. Spencer hinted that Playground is working on something open world and big, which everyone pretty much knows is Fable 4, but he didn’t say it outright. Not sure on if it might debut at the end of the show, or later on. Finally, Microsoft also acquired We Happy Few’s Compulsion games, and showed a new trailer for the game. Microsoft also announced a brand new studio, "The Initiative," though didn't comment on its projects.

Big, big moves for Microsoft here, and exactly what they need to be doing given the current state of Xbox exclusives. If they can produce big sequels and must-have new IPs, Xbox could come roaring back. But it’s going to be a long, long term undertaking.